Industrial And Organizational Psychology Research Articles

Unlocking technology acceptance among South African employees: A psychological perspective

Orientation: The study delves into technological acceptance within South African organisations, identifying psychological factors influencing employees’ willingness to adopt technology. Barriers to technology adoption are explored, emphasising the universal relevance of identified psychological constructs.Research purpose: To understand the psychological barriers influencing successful technological adoption in South African organisations.Motivations for the study: High failure rates in tech-implementation projects are linked to employee resistance, revealing a crucial gap in understanding psychological dynamics. Recognising human factors as pivotal to technological success, there is a need to transcend technical aspects, exploring individual experiences during organisational transitions.Research approach/design and method: Using a qualitative approach with non-random snowball sampling, 17 South African employees were interviewed in a semi-structured manner. Thematic analysis revealed specific categories of psychological barriers.Main findings: Identified barriers proved to be the antithesis of positive psychological constructs, including lack of psychological safety, lack of organisational trust, lack of psychological availability, negative emotions, low self-efficacy and low frustration tolerance. The presence of these barriers, hindering participants’ willingness to adopt new technologies.Practical/managerial implications: Organisations are advised to prioritise fostering a culture of psychological safety and trust, transparent communication and positive emotional experiences during technology adoption at the individual level. Training programmes enhancing self-efficacy and promoting mindfulness practices can mitigate barriers.Contribution/value-add: This research stresses the significance of the role of psychological factors in inhibiting an employee’s technological acceptance, providing practical guidance for industrial psychologists, HR professionals and change managers. The need to consider individual experiences during technological transitions, has universal implications across diverse workplaces.

Longitudinal investigation of restructuring, psychosocial safety climate and burnout in Australian universities during COVID-19 2020–2022

Australian universities have undergone considerable restructuring within the last few decades such as downsizing, unit amalgamations and adopting new digital work practices. This article draws together industrial relations and organisational psychology literature, exploring restructuring and effects within universities. It presents national data on university restructuring, levels of organisational psychosocial safety climate (PSC), and burnout from 2020 to 2022, from the workers’ perspective. Survey responses were collected across 39 Australian universities at 3 time points: 2020 (n = 2191), 2021 (n = 1731) and 2022 (n = 1373). A large proportion reported ‘high’ levels of restructuring at each data collection phase (2020 = 41%, 2021 = 56% and 2022 = 49%). A multi-level model showed that PSC is an organisational climate predictor of restructuring, and in turn, worker burnout. Hierarchical linear modelling of the longitudinal data revealed significant pathways and a good model fit. Findings suggest that organisations with poor climates for psychological health (i.e. low PSC) are more likely to restructure, which is then associated with higher levels of burnout. Primary-level PSC-focused interventions are needed to prioritise the psychological health of the workforce over persistent productivity concerns, which is the conventional driver of restructuring.

Characteristics of Multiprofessional and Client-Oriented Approach in Occupational Health Services: A Cross-Sectional Survey Among Occupational Health Professionals.

Multiprofessional and client-oriented approaches are considered key factors for successful occupational health services, and for impressive occupational health cooperation between a client organisation and occupational health service provider. The purpose of this study was to find out the views of occupational health physicians, occupational health nurses, occupational physiotherapists, and occupational health psychologists about multiprofessional and client-oriented working methods. These working methods describe the guidelines for good occupational health practice in Finland, also serving the framework of the present study. The survey was conducted in May and June 2022. The data consisted of answers to open-ended questions of a larger questionnaire. The data was analysed with the method of theory-related thematic analysis. Seven occupational health service providers committed to the study. Altogether 121 professionals responded to the question surveying the multiprofessional approach, and 119 professionals responded to the question of client-oriented approach. The results showed that both the multiprofessional and client-oriented approaches are closely related to each other, and the views of these approaches are in line with the good occupational health practice. Multiprofessional approach was most commonly described with the theme of sharing expertise. Respectively, the theme of smooth cooperation most commonly described the client-oriented approach. At its best, the answers showed that a multiprofessional working strategy takes into account the expertise of different professionals so that the client can be offered high-quality, accurate content and timely occupational health services. The results provide up-to-date information on working strategies of occupational health services in Finland. The results can be used in further development of multiprofessional and client-oriented work in occupational health services.

Insights into the theory-practice gap: Perspectives from South African industrial psychologists

Orientation: Emerging industrial psychologists enter into an internship after completion of their studies. Interns sometimes lack the required competencies, which may be a result of a gap between theory taught at university and expected competencies in practice.Research purpose: The general objective of this study was to explore the beliefs of supervising industrial psychologists regarding the theory-practice gap, and the perceived competence of graduates entering industrial psychology internships.Motivation for the study: The existence of the theory-practice gap in industrial psychology in South Africa is largely unexplored. Understanding the current level of competence and identifying the aforementioned gaps, universities and interns can proactively reduce the perceived gap.Research approach/design and method: A qualitative descriptive research design was employed. Data were collected through qualitative surveys among a homogenous sample of 13 industrial psychologists supervising interns. Content analysis was used to analyse the data.Main findings: Interns display some competencies, while lacking others. The majority of the participants confirmed a gap between theory acquired at university and industry. The participants made recommendations to universities and interns to close this gap.Practical/managerial implications: Identifying a theory-practice gap and the impact it may have on the competence level of emerging professionals, students and universities can adapt their learning and teaching strategies to potentially help minimise the gap to ensure graduates are more competent when entering internships.Contribution/value-add: This research study adds qualitative insights on the topic of the theory-practice gap, specifically the perceptions of supervising industrial psychologists within South African organisations.

Exploring underlying factors for variations in digital upskilling

This study aims to analyse the impact of demographic and educational factors on in digital upskilling. We address the relationship between digital skills, critical thinking skills and the student learning experience in courses with embedded upskilling programs. Statistical analysis and exploratory research are used to analyse the data collected by the digital fitness app developed by a global company leading digital talent transformation. Our research identified the following demographic indicators that have influenced individuals’ digital upskilling: Gender, Race, Residency, Pell-eligibility, Age, in addition to six academic indicators including department, major, class level, first-time freshman, High School GPA and ACT score. Discussion of findings and future research directions would lead to novel research articles focusing on longitudinal studies to assess digital skills. Also, this study shows the need for a new assessment tool to expand the scope and the sample size of the study. This article provides a valuable guidance for policy makers, higher-education institutions, educators, students, and employers, who are looking for digital talent or skill sets needed for digital transformation. The main contribution lays in data collection and analysis. This is the first study using a globally accepted digital talent assessment tool to collect data at a minority serving institution.

Prévenir les consommations de substances psychoactives par l’intervention en milieu de travail

<p>In a society where workers are using psychoactive substances in their workplace, what type of prevention can we propose in order to limit the risks? The aim of this research is to contribute to the improvement of current prevention systems. This work is grounded within an Inter-company Occupational Health and Prevention Service (IOHPS). Data were collected during four prevention interventions in companies affiliated with the service. These interventions were documented to assist in the development of new collective and primary prevention approaches for substance use in the workplace. Developing preventive actions in the workplace requires collective and multidisciplinary collaboration between occupational health professionals and company stakeholders. Based on studies conducted on the analysis of mental health interventions in the workplace, our results confirmed the importance of the five essential conditions that facilitate the development of actions highlighted by Rouat (Rouat, 2010; Rouat et al., 2021). They also identified two additional conditions: the establishment of a common set of representations and the preexistence of a framework that facilitates prevention. We have identified a set of factors that can constrain these interventions. Thus, performance-driven approaches to occupational health, lack of support in implementing interdisciplinary projects, or the digitalization of relationships between occupational health stakeholders can influence the success of substance use prevention projects. Given that addictive behaviours intersect personal and professional spheres, we emphasize the importance of applying occupational and organizational psychology principles in this area of intervention.</p>

Pilot Research for the Assessment of Neuroanatomical Correlates in Relation to Brain Talents Identified Through the Six Seconds Emotional Intelligence Assessment

The current research is centered on investigating the neurophysiological correlates associated with various talents, with the goal of determining whether specific brain areas are activated during the expression of these talents. The study specifically investigates individuals with different occupational roles, distinguishing between social/healthcare and non-healthcare (administrative) positions. The research was conducted in three phases. The initial phase involved the selection of 60 employees from the Piccola Opera Caritas of Giulianova. Participants were administered the Brain Talent Profile questionnaire to gather information about their talents. The second phase focused on identifying neuroanatomical correlates using the BrainBit helmet. Participants engage in various brief activities while wearing the EEG headband, suitable for both neurofeedback and brain activity measurements. The final phase was dedicated to analyze the data collected through the Brain Brief Profile, which comprises three domains: Perception, Evaluation, and Action. Our hypothesis suggests significant correlations between participants' talents and recorded EEG patterns. To validate this hypothesis, the outcomes derived from the Social and Emotional Intelligence (SEI) test were compared with EEG measurements. This research holds potential applications in the recruitment phase, providing insights into the neurological basis of talents in prospective employees. It may offer advantages in training initiatives dedicated to enhancing talents and skills across diverse organizational roles. The emphasis on various job roles, particularly in the social/healthcare and administrative sectors, strengthens the practical relevance of the study for talent assessment and development within organizational contexts. In summary, our research aims to bridge the gap between talents and neurophysiological correlates, with potential implications for recruitment and training strategies within organizational settings.

The occupation of self-employment in South African informal micro-enterprises

Introduction: Self-employment, in which individuals work for themselves in a small business or microenterprise to earn an income or generate a salary, has been encouraged to facilitate employment opportunities in South Africa. However, participation in self-employment within the community served by professionals such as occupational therapists is limited by many factors, including effective government initiatives, such as implementing the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) policies. To enable individuals and community participation in this type of work for those with occupational dysfunction, mainly persons with disabilities, professionals such as occupational therapists need to understand the structural, contextual and occupational outcomes related to self-employment. Based on the Framework for Occupational Justice, this study explored the occupation of self-employment in microenterprises in the low-resourced urban community of Alexandra Township.
 Method: A quantitative descriptive non-experimental design study was used to identify informal microenterprises in the community using a transect walk and community mapping. Structured interviews were conducted to complete a questionnaire with key informants (service providers and business owners) who provided perceptions on factors that impacted the occupational outcomes of microenterprises.
 Results: Structural and contextual factors from the participants' experience resulted in unjust occupational outcomes, which indicates that occupational rights, particularly participation, choice and balance, were negatively affected by the lack of opportunities, such as jobs. Occupational marginalisation and imbalance were reported since many businesses lacked adequate and appropriate space for trade. Some business owners, however, reported just occupational outcomes related to the occupational right for meaningful occupation in providing a service to the community and financial income to support themselves and their families.
 Conclusion: Occupational therapists need to play various active roles in raising the consciousness of unjust occupational outcomes and support for just occupational outcomes that are achieved in engagement in self-employment in informal microenterprises.
 Implications for practice
 Occupational therapists should take note of the factors and occupational outcomes of being self-employed identified in this study and consider the roles they could play in expediting success in this occupation for clients. Occupational therapists could assume:
 
 A collaborative role, such as referring and working with various key role players or sectors in the interest of sourcing and providing opportunities for skills development for those entering self- employment, particularly in entrepreneurial training. This may include working with the government (e.g., Department of Labour and Small Enterprise Development Agency), private sector (e.g., yes4youth), other professions (social workers and industrial psychologists) and organisations for persons with disabilities (e.g., Disabled People, South Africa
 

Why does using personal strengths at work increase employee engagement, who makes the most out of it, and how?

Engaging in behaviors that take advantage of one's personal strengths at work can promote employee flourishing in the workplace and mental health. Personal strengths use has thus gained increasing attention within occupational psychology and positive organizational scholarship. In this article, we first integrate work on personal strengths use with the latest developments in the job demands-resources theory (and its extensions) to develop a conceptual model explaining how and why personal strengths use on the job increases work engagement. Specifically, we propose that feelings of inspiration and meaningfulness explain the relationship between personal strengths use and work engagement. Second, we identify two mechanisms through which employees can amplify the benefits associated with personal strengths use at work; that is, we propose that the increased engagement associated with strengths use makes employees more likely to capitalize on the positive aspects of their work by engaging in work-family interpersonal capitalization and positive work reflection. Further, our model predicts that employees' psychological capital moderates the effects of personal strengths use. We tested our theoretical predictions in a sample of 160 full-time employees who provided ratings that comprise a three-level data set (person, week, and day) comprising 943 matched weekly ratings and 2,787 daily ratings. Our hypotheses were largely supported by these data. Implications for theory, practice, and future research are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Job Motivation in School Teachers: The Mediating Role of Teaching Efficacy

The present study explored the relational dynamics of pedagogical content knowledge, teaching efficacy, and job motivation in school teachers. Directed by the published literature, it was postulated that a) there would be a positive relationship among teaching efficacy, pedagogical content knowledge and job motivation, b) teaching efficacy and pedagogical content knowledge would predict job motivation and, c) teaching efficacy would mediate between pedagogical content knowledge and job motivation. After observing all stipulated ethical considerations, a purposive sample of 220 school teachers (n = 117 men, n = 103 women) with an age range of 20-50 years (M=33.54, SD=4.54) was recruited for this cross-sectional correlational research. Tools used were demographic information sheet, teacher sense of efficacy scale (short form), STEM pedagogical content knowledge scale and motivation at work scale. Findings showed that there was a significant negative relationship between teaching efficacy and pedagogical content knowledge, and between job motivation and pedagogical content knowledge in teachers. Moreover, pedagogical content knowledge was a significant predictor of job motivation and teaching efficacy mediated the relationship between pedagogical content knowledge and job motivation. Other than facilitating occupational and educational psychologists in their work with teachers, current findings can also be incorporated into policymaking of the education sector.

Nursing and allied health workforce in Australian public rheumatology departments is inadequate: a cross-sectional observational study

Rheumatological conditions are complex and impact many facets of daily life. Management of people with rheumatological conditions can be optimised through multidisciplinary care. However, the current access to nursing and allied health professionals in Australia is unknown. A cross-sectional study of nursing and allied health professionals in Australian public rheumatology departments for adult and paediatric services was conducted. The heads of Australian public rheumatology departments were invited to report the health professionals working within their departments, referral pathways, and barriers to greater multidisciplinary care. A total of 27/39 (69.2%) of the hospitals responded. The most common health professionals within departments were nurses (n = 23; 85.2%) and physiotherapists (n = 10; 37.0%), followed by pharmacists (n = 5; 18.5%), psychologists (n = 4; 14.8%), and occupational therapists (n = 4; 14.8%). No podiatrists were employed within departments. Referral pathways were most common for physiotherapy (n = 20; 74.1%), followed by occupational therapy (n = 15; 55.5%), podiatry (n = 13; 48.1%), and psychology (n = 6; 22%). The mean full-time equivalent of nursing and allied health professionals per 100,000 population in Australia was 0.29. Funding was identified as the most common barrier. In Australia, publicly funded multidisciplinary care from nurses and allied health professionals in rheumatology departments is approximately 1.5 days per week on average. This level of multidisciplinary care is unlikely to meet the needs of rheumatology patients. Research is needed to determine the minimum staffing requirements of nursing and allied health professionals to provide optimal care.

The validity of general cognitive ability predicting job-specific performance is stable across different levels of job experience.

Decades of research in industrial-organizational psychology have established that measures of general cognitive ability (g) consistently and positively predict job-specific performance to a statistically and practically significant degree across jobs. But is the validity of g stable across different levels of job experience? The present study addresses this question using historical large-scale data across 31 diverse military occupations from the Joint-Service Job Performance Measurement/Enlistment Standards Project (N = 10,088). Across all jobs, results of our meta-analysis find near-zero interactions between Armed Forces Qualification Test score (a composite of math and verbal scores) and time in service when predicting job-specific performance. This finding supports the validity of g for predicting job-specific performance even with increasing job experience and provides no evidence for diminishing validity of g. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings, along with directions for personnel selection research and practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The role of work psychologists in the development of antiwork sentiments

The role of work psychologists in the development of antiwork sentiments

Половые различия в склонности к когнитивным ошибкам у студенческой молодежи

The article delves into the problem of cognitive errors among students. It emphasizes the relevance of studying this problem in the aspect of adolescence, which is the period of higher education. The article presents the re-sults of the study of sex differences among student youth, which can be used by university psychologists in preventive and corrective work with boys and girls prone to cognitive errors. The study involved 485 students aged 17–25 years, including 433 boys and 52 girls. The Cognitive Mistakes Questionnaire (CMQ – OKO) (A. Freeman, R. Devulf) was used to identify the tendency to cognitive errors. The analysis of the obtained data allows us to conclude that the hypothesis of the study is partially confirmed: girls are more prone to various types of cognitive errors, while the hypothesis that students have the most expressed propensity to such cogni-tive errors as personalization, stubbornness and maximalism is not confirmed.

Challenges and transformations in the performance of organizational and work psychologists in the state of Rio Grande do Norte during the COVID-19 pandemic

The role of organizational psychologists originated during World War I and established itself in Brazil from 1926, being applied to workplace contexts to this day. However, the Covid-19 pandemic posed significant challenges to the field, accelerating changes in the work models of these professionals. To investigate the performance of organizational and work psychologists (OWPs) during the Covid-19 pandemic in the State of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), from 2021 to 2022. A descriptive qualitative study based on the analysis of responses from 14 OWPs practicing in RN during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the sample, the majority of participants were female (78.57%), 57.14% held tactical positions, and 71.43% were employed under the formal employment regime (CLT), with professional experience ranging from 8 months to 22 years. The predominant areas of work were training and development (64.29%) and recruitment and selection (57.14%), while other activities had a frequency of 7.14%. The research revealed the predominance of females in the field of OWPs, highlighting the diversity of roles performed by these professionals and the challenges faced in the corporate environment during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Research on the Path and Countermeasure of Improving the Quality and Efficiency of High Skilled Personnel Training

The high-quality and rapid development of China's urban economy has constantly upgraded the requirements for different talents. However, the current training mode of many higher vocational colleges for corresponding talents gradually lags behind the pace of social and economic development, and cannot meet the needs of enterprises and local governments for talents under the upgrading and transformation of human capital composition. In order to train the team of highly skilled talents for the society better, this paper analyzes the current status of the training of highly skilled talents from the theory of human capital and training mode, uses methods such as comparison, analogy and empirical analysis to compare and analyze different influencing factors of regional economic development, and puts forward targeted paths and countermeasures to improve the quality and efficiency of talent training from multiple perspectives. Finally, we integrate the teaching resources of higher vocational colleges and scientific research institutions, take the market demand as the goal, improve the talent assessment standards, according to the regional market development and the guidance of the government, targeted training of the current regional economic environment urgently needed high-skill talents.

Applying Occupational Psychology Principles to Enhance Organizational Effectiveness

Applying Occupational Psychology Principles to Enhance Organizational Effectiveness

Evaluating the correlation between self-esteem and the values of anxiety and depression respectively in an organizational context

The present work aims to analyze, on the one hand, the link between self-esteem levels and anxiety values among professionally active people, respectively, on the other hand, between self-esteem levels and depression values, among the same population . We consider it important to define the concept of self-esteem in relation to anxiety and depression. In order to determine whether the working hypotheses are valid, a questionnaire was drawn up consisting of the items of the Anxiety, Satisfaction and Depression and Enthusiasm at Work Scale (Warr, P. (1990). The measurement of well‐being and other aspects of mental health. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 63(3), 193-210.), respectively of self-esteem related to the organization (Pierce, J. L., Gardner, D. G., Cummings, L. L., & Dunham, R. B. (1989). Organization-based self-esteem: construct definition, measurement, and validation. Academy of Management Journal, 32(3), 622–648.). The group of participants in this study was made up of both male and female people, professionally active, predominantly from the urban environment, with higher education and a varied length of work.

The impressions of industrial psychologists of their proficiency as coaches

Orientation: Coaching’s expansion is driven by its impact on job performance and wellbeing through positive reinforcement and goal achievement. Working as coaches for individuals, teams, and organisations, industrial psychologists often report feeling inadequately prepared for their coaching roles.Research purpose: The objective of this study was to explore industrial psychologists functioning as coaches, and, their training and development needs related to coaching in the workplace.Motivation for the study: Coaching is driven by its benefits for job performance and wellbeing, highlighting a challenge where many industrial psychologists, frequently acting as coaches, feel unprepared.Research approach, design and method: A qualitative research approach with an interpretivism paradigm was employed in this study. The participants, industrial psychologists and interns (N = 17) were approached using snowball sampling. The data was captured with qualitative surveys and analysed using thematic analysis.Main findings: The results showed that some participants felt confident since they experienced certainty of coaching psychology theories and the role of self-awareness in shaping their coaching methods. Some participants experienced less confidence in their coaching abilities and highlighted the need for supervision from a mentor in sound coaching practices. The participants reported a need for further development in skills such as emotional competence, and theoretical and technological knowledge and practice management.Practical/managerial implications: Coaching interventions by industrial psychologists can enhance employee strengths, boosting organisational returns and promoting a triple-bottom-line.Contribution/value-add: An industrial psychologist committed to coaching development can significantly boost both personal and organisational growth.

Well-being of first-year students: The role of study characteristics, strengths and deficits

Orientation: Higher education institutions (HEIs) are crucial in preparing students for the workforce. Practitioners, such as industrial psychologists, can aid HEIs to enhance student development and improve university efficiency.Research purpose: This study aims to investigate the relationship between student demands and resources, proactive behaviour towards strengths use (PBSU) and proactive behaviour towards deficit improvement (PBDI), and students’ well-being (emotional, social and psychological).Motivation for the study: Two specific types of proactive behaviour, namely PBSU and PBDI, have been identified that may contribute to student success. Investigating the impact of these behaviours on student antecedents and outcomes could offer valuable insights for designing student development initiatives.Research approach/design and method: This study included 773 South African first-year university students studying at different campuses of a South African university. Structural equation modelling was used to test the structural model and investigate the regression weights.Main findings: Students’ personal problems were found to predict both PBSU and PBDI negatively. Autonomy positively predicted both types of proactive behaviour. Proactive behaviour towards strengths use was strongly related to emotional and psychological well-being, while PBDI was strongly related to social well-being.Practical/managerial implications: This study highlights the direct impact of PBSU and PBDI on students’ well-being. Practitioners in university settings can benefit from the recommendations provided in this article to inform and implement initiatives related to student development and assist students in developing the necessary skills to enhance their work readiness.Contribution/value-add:This study’s findings contribute to the relatively small body of research on implementing strengths-based and deficit improvement initiatives in South African universities.